TEHRAN - Global resentment against the United States and Israel is reaching a boiling point following the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. From the streets to social media, raw grief has erupted into searing anger toward Washington and Tel Aviv, with many condemning the strikes on his office in central Tehran on Saturday as an unforgivable act and warning of lasting consequences.

For millions across the region and beyond, Ayatollah Khamenei was not only Iran’s highest authority but also a symbol of resistance against foreign domination and decades of pressure on the Islamic Republic. His martyrdom, supporters say, has transformed him into an even more powerful symbol of steadfastness and defiance.

The killing led to protests in Iraq, which declared three days of public mourning. In Baghdad, protesters confronted security forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies. Many demonstrators described the assassination as an attack not only on Iran but on the broader axis of resistance.

Videos verified by Al Jazeera showed demonstrators waving flags and shouting slogans, with witnesses saying some were attempting to mobilize towards the U.S. Embassy. Protesters expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and praised Ayatollah Khamenei’s decades-long leadership, describing him as a defender of regional sovereignty.

Anti-war protesters also gathered across the United States, including outside the White House and in New York’s Times Square, to voice opposition to U.S. military involvement in the region after the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei. Demonstrators criticized what they described as unilateral military action and warned that such strikes risk plunging the region into wider conflict.

A coalition of left-wing groups, including the ANSWER Coalition, National Iranian American Council, 50501, American Muslims for Palestine, The People’s Forum, Palestinian Youth Movement, CodePink, Black Alliance for Peace and the Democratic Socialists of America, organized protests across major U.S. cities on Saturday, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

“It wasn’t sanctioned by Congress, so what Trump is doing is on his own terms, it’s making him a fascist and it’s making the country into a fascist state,” said Sue Johnson, a protester, told The Guardian.

Trump, she added, “just couldn’t wait. He’s such an impatient child. He’s like, ‘Well ICE didn’t work, so let’s go stir things up in the Middle East.’ He bombed Iran for no specific reason.”

“No president can attack or kidnap or bomb another country without the permission of Congress,” she said, but conceded that “it’s irrelevant what Congress thinks because this president goes and does whatever he wants to do to any country.”

In India, thousands of Shia Muslims joined street demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei. Protesters holding red, black and yellow flags converged on the main square in the heart of Srinagar. Many chanted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans during the emotionally charged but largely peaceful gathering.

“This day we are all very heavy-hearted. We are mourning our beloved leader who was martyred,” Syed Towfeeq, 40, told the AFP news agency.

“We all have a message for Trump … We will always stand against your oppression. If you think that you have martyred our beloved leader, you are in an illusion … You cannot oppress while we, the sons of Khamenei, are alive.”

In the United Kingdom, protesters in London rallied to condemn the killing of Iran’s leader and U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. They brandished signs bearing portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and the slogan, “Choose the Right Side of History.”

Other placards read “Stop Trump’s Wars” and “No War on Iran,” while some flew Iran’s tricolor flag bearing the Islamic emblem. Demonstrators chanted, “Long live the resistance! Long live Iran!” and “Resistance is justified when people are colonized!” as well as “U.S. are war criminals!” and “U.S. are baby killers!”

Other chants included, “Zionism is a crime, get your hands off Palestine,” and “Zionism is terrorism,” while some activists waved the Palestinian flag. Participants described the late leader as a voice for the oppressed and said his assassination would only deepen global resistance to what they see as unjust wars and foreign intervention.

More than 1,000 demonstrators marched to the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Athens to protest against the strikes in Iran. Demonstrators, mainly affiliated with the Greek Communist Party, held banners and placards reading, “Hands off Iran” and “Close Souda base.”

Greece tightened security at the Souda naval base on the island of Crete, a strategic facility for the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. and Israeli embassies were cordoned off with rows of blue police buses. Police sources estimated the number of protesters at more than 1,300. Many marchers carried portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and described him as a steadfast figure who resisted Western pressure throughout his leadership.

Thousands of protesters also gathered near Islamabad’s heavily fortified Red Zone, which houses diplomatic missions and government buildings, following Ayatollah Khamenei’s killing. The sound of gunshots and tear-gas shells could be heard as security forces tried to disperse the crowd inching its way towards the diplomatic enclave.

The crowd chanted anti-U.S. slogans, calling those supporting the strikes traitors. Several people were seen crying while Shia leaders praised the “bravery and courage” of Ayatollah Khamenei and described his martyrdom as a turning point for the Muslim world.

Across these demonstrations, a common message has emerged: that the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei will not silence the movement he led. Supporters argue that his decades of leadership shaped Iran’s regional policies and strengthened networks of resistance from West Asia to other parts of the world. They say his legacy now carries even greater weight, inspiring renewed unity among those who oppose U.S. and Israeli policies in the region.

Beyond the immediate outrage, analysts say the global wave of protests reflects deeper geopolitical fault lines that have been widening for years. For many demonstrators, the strikes are seen not as an isolated military action but as part of a broader pattern of confrontation that risks destabilizing an already volatile region. Observers warn that further escalation could draw additional regional actors into the crisis, intensifying diplomatic tensions and economic uncertainty worldwide. At the same time, supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei insist that his death has galvanized a new generation of activists who view his legacy as inseparable from the struggle against foreign intervention. Whether through street mobilizations, political organizing or renewed calls for regional solidarity, they argue that the repercussions of his martyrdom will continue to reverberate far beyond Iran’s borders.